Folding sofa lounge and knockdown furniture



P. PAGLIARO ET AL FOLDING SOFA LOUNGE AND KNOCKDOWN FURNITURE Filed Sept. 22, 1960 Sept. 26, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS' PAUL PAGLIARO NATHAN FRIEDMAN ATTORNEY Sept. 26, 1961 P. PAGLIARO ETAL FOLDING SOFA LOUNGE AND KNOCKDOWN FURNITURE Filed Sept. 22, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS PAUL PAGLIA'RO NATHAN FRTEDMAN ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,001,822 FOLDING SOFA LOUNGE AND KNOCKDOWN FURNITURE 7 Paul Pagliaro, Whitcstone, and Nathan Friedman, Brooklyn,'N.Y., assignors to Nu Era Wood Products, Inc.,

West Hempstead, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 22, 1960, Ser. No. 57,723 3 Claims. (Cl. 297-381) This invention relates to a folding sofa lounge and knockdown furniture, and more particularly to furniture and furniture frames for sofas, chairs, and the like, of relatively durable and permanent appearance and construction, but which can be knocked down or folded for shipment, such as directly from the manufacturer, to occupy a minimum volume and in a container which then need not be opened until it reaches its final destination, such as the consumer, where it can be readily re-erected as a stable, attractive article of furniture with a minimum of effort and a minimum of tools, without the necessity for pre-assembly by skilled or semi-skilled workmen.

It is an object of the invention to provide an article of furniture, which in its assembled form, when provided with cushions or bolsters, shows no apparent indication that it is collapsible or foldable, but which can be knocked down or folded at the factory to a thickness equal to or-barely exceeding the sum of the thicknesses of the base frame, the back, and one of the side arms, for insertion into a carton to occupy a minimum volume, and for subsequent re-erection at the shipping destination in a simple manner.

Frames for conventional sofa lounges having separate cushions or bolsters are customarily manufactured from separate wooden and metal component parts which are shipped to a bedding manufacturer for assembly into a complete unit consisting of a frame, cushions and legs. This complete unit is then shipped to the retail dealer so that the retailers deliveryman or the consumer then screws the legs onto the complete unit at the destination. Since the various component parts of the frame are often sent to the bedding manufacturer over extended intervals of time, when the bedding manufacturer finally assembles these parts into a complete unit, the component parts may not fit well together as to dimensions, color or grain of wood because they may come from different batches or mill runs of lumber, stain or other material. Furthermore, after the assembly operation by the manufacturer in joining the component parts permanently together, for example screwing the back permanently onto the base frame, the frame has an L-shaped or H-shaped cross-section and thus requires a relatively large carton for packaging. Such package has a height at least -extending from the bottom of the frame to the topof the hack in assembled condition. This relatively large package incurs high freight and shipping expenses, in addition to the labor costs required in the assembly operation, 1

in handling the large package at the factory and in shipping it. Furthermore, in handling such a relatively large assembled unit, it is quite common for the finished article of furniture, because of its bulky volume, to be scratched or damaged during the handling and re-handling before or during delivery to the consumer.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a knock-down furniture frame which makes it possible to eliminate the customary shipment of a large volume completely assembled unit, such as often an assembly operation by a bedding manufacturer.

It is another object of this invention to provide a knock-down furniture frame which can be readily reduced to a minimum volume and thickness to save shipping space, and which can subsequently be re-erected with a minim-um of eflort and a minimum of tools.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a furniture frame for a sofa lounge or chair which can be shipped complete in cartons from the initial frame manufacturer, so that the bedding manufacturer need only add cushions or bolsters to make a complete unit, without even opening the sealed carton containing the furniture frame.

The primary advantage of the present invention is thus the saving in shipping space, so that at least 50% saving in freight volume is accomplished.

The essential novelty of the invention resides in the particular arrangement of the base frame, the back, and the side arms with respect to each other, and in a preferred embodiment, to a raised portion attached to the base frame to which the side arms are hingedly attached, so that the overall thickness of the furniture piece, with the legs and cushions removed, have an overall thickness barely exceeding the sum of the thicknesses of the base frame, the back, and the side arms. The surfaces are closely finished and the hinges are hidden so that they are covered by the seat cushion when in place, and the finished piece of furniture discloses no outward indication that it is foldable or collapsible.

The invention also comprises other novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description of the embodiments shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled sofa lounge according to the invention, with the back cushion removed and the seat cushion partiallycut away to show the details of construction of the frame.

FIG. 2 shows the furniture frame of the lounge of FIG. 1 with the legs removed and in folded condition for insertion.- into a carton, except that one of the arms is shown only partially folded to reveal detailsof construction.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary rear elevation view showing details of the sofa lounge of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the invention, showing a sofa lounge with the seat cushion, back cushion and legs removed, and with one arm in folded-down condition.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a third embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a chair frame embody ing the details of the invention.

FIG. 7'is a perspective view of the chair frame of FIG. 6 in partially folded condition and with the two front legs removed.

FIG. 8 is a cross section taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG.' 7.

FIG. 9 is a front elevation view of the chair frame of FIG. 6 in completely folded condition, with the two front legs removed. i The sofa lounge illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises a base frame 10 which is provided with the customary cross springs 11 and removable supporting legs 14. A back member 12 is hingedly attached to base frame 10 by means of hinges 16 to swing forward so that (with the cushion member 18 removed) the back member 12 in folded position is parallel to and lies flush against the base frame 10. Two fixed raised portions 15, 15a are fixedly attached at the respective ends of base frame 10 and have each a level upper surface to which the respective side arm members 13 and 13a are hinged bymeans of hinges 17. The upper surface of fixed raised portions 15 and 15a are located at a level approximately the same or slightly higher than the uppermost level of the foldeddown back member 12, so that the inner surfaces of side arm member 13 and 13a, in folded down position, lie 'in an approximately horizontal position over the rear member 12, as shown in left portion of FIG. 2. As a consequence, the distance d (FIG. 2) is equal to the thickness of the base 10, plus the distance which'the fixed raised portion 15, 15a extends above the level of base member 10, plus the thickness of one of the side arm members 13, 13a. Since, as above mentioned, the upper level of the fixed raised portions 15, 15a are approximately on a level with the uppermost surface of back member 12 in folded down condition, the overall thickness d will be approximately the sum of the thicknesses of the base member 10, the back member 12 and the side member 13 or 13a.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, the mating surfaces between the base member and back member 12, as well as between raised portions 15, a and side member 13 are smoothly finished so that in erected, i.e. unfolded and assembled condition, only a thin line between the matching surfaces is apparent, and no hinges are visible from the outside of the article of furniture. The cylindrical portion of the hinges 16 and 17 are preferably partially recessed into their corresponding supporting surfaces. The bolster or cushion 18 is high enough so that it covers from view the cylindrical portion .of both sets of hinges 16 and 17. It will be noted that in the embodiment of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the fixed raised portion 15 and. 15a raise the level of the pivot axes of hinges 17 above the pivot axes of hinges 16 by the necessary amount so that there is no interference be tween the side and back members in folded position.

Unfolding and assembly of the article of furniture from the position shown in FIG. 2 requires merely a swinging of the arms 13a and 13 outwardly into an upright position, a swinging of the back member 12 back to an approximately upright position, and an insertion of screws through holes 19 in back member 12 into matching holes 21 in side arm members 13 and 13a (FIG. 3). Removable supporting legs 14 can be shipped in the space encompassed by back member 12, and can be screwed into a base plate provided in the bottom of base frame 10 (FIG. 3).

Of course, back member 12 can be designed'to slope backward, if desired by proper location of holes 19, 21 and giving proper angle to the mating surfaces which support hinge 16.

The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4 is similar to that above described in connection with FIGS. 1, '2 and 3, except that instead of the back member folding down first, the side members 13 and 13'a fold down first, and the back member 12' folds down subsequently. To accomplish this modification, instead of portions 15 and 15a, a fixed raised portion 23 is firmly attached to the rear of base member 10' in order to raise the level of hinges 16' above the level of hinges 17, so that there is no interference between the side and back members in folded position. v

In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the back member 12" is not fastened hingedly or otherwise to the base member 10", but in knocked-down condition is shipped resting on the folded-down arm portions 13", so that the overall shipping thickness is the thickness of the base member 10", plus the thickness of side arm member 13", plus the thickness of back member 12". In the embodiment of FIG. 5, however, since there are no hinge members fastening the'back member 12" to the base member 10", as in the above-discussed embodiments, to provide the necessary strength, an additional screw fastening is provided between matching holes 19" in the back member 12" and holes 21 in side member 13".

FIGS. 69 illustrate the incorporation of the principles of the invention into a foldable chair frame. In the illustrations, the seat and back cushion members have been removed for clearer illustration of the frame. In the perspective view of FIG. 6, the base frame member 101 is supported on two front legs 140, 140, and two rear legs 121 and 121. The two front legs 140 are provided with a screwed stud for insertion into a metal plate fastened to the base frame member in a manner similar to that of leg 14 illustrated in FIG. 3. The rear legs 121, however, form a permanent part of the back member 121, as best illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8. Raised portions 150 and 151, corresponding to portions 15 and 15a of the embodiment of FIG. 1, are fixedly attached at each side of the base frame member 101 and are provided with elevated upper surfaces to which hinges 170 are attached to raise the pivot axis of the latter above the upper level of base frame 101 and above the pivot axis of rear hinge 160. The rear hinge 160 is preferably a continuous piano-type hinge in this embodiment since it must bear the greater portion of the weight and shearing forces between base frame 101 and back member which are concentrated along hinge 160, since the legs 121 form part of the back member 120 (FIGS. 6 and 8). After the back member 120 has been swung forwardly and down about hinge 160, the side arm members are foldable inwardly about hinges 170, as shown in FIG. 7.

As is apparent in FIG. 8, the raised portion has its upper level sufficiently above the upper level of base frame member 101 to just clear the thickness of back member 120, so that both back member 120 and the inner surface of side member 130 are approximately horizontal in their folded position, and so that the overall thickness d of the chair when folded, is equal to the thickness of the base member 101 plus the additional thickness of the raised portion 150 plus the thickness of one side arm 130. This overall thickness exceeds the total of the thicknesses of members 101, 120 and 130 only by the amount which member 150 exceeds the thickness of member 120. In practice, this amount can be made almost negligible, but has been shown as a spacial dimension in FIGS. 8 and 9 for clearer representation of the adjacent folded surfaces.

It will be noted from FIG. 6 that the back member 120 of the chair frame need not be vertical in assembled position, but for added comfort is designed to slope rearwardly. This is accomplished by suitable design of the respective mating'surfaces of member 101 and back memher 120 to which the piano hinge is attached, and by suitable positioning of the angle of legs 121 with respect to the rest of back member 120; also the position of holes in back member 120 are suitably positioned with respect to the matching holes 210 (analogous to holes 21 in FIG. 3) which are formed in the side arm members 130.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art, upon a study of this disclosure, that the present invention permits of various modifications and alterations with respect to the individual components of the article of furniture, and hence can be embodied in folding or knockdown furniture other than particularly illustrated and described herein, without departing from the essential features of the invention and within the scope of the claims annexed hereto.

We claim:

1. A frame for knock-down furniture, comprising a base frame member, at least one side arm member hingedly connected to said base frame member for swinging inwardly relative thereto, and a back member removably attachable to said side-arm member for supporting same in upright unfolded position, the overall folded thickness of said frame being approximately the sum of the thickness of said base member, plus the thickness of one of said arm members, plus the thickness of said back member, hinge means attaching said arm member to said base frame member and provided with two flanges having fastenings and mounted so as to overlap each other in parallel relation when the swingable members are in said upright unfolded position, whereby vertical load forces of said unit in unfolded condition do not stress the fastenings of said hinge flanges in shear, said two flanges of a respective hinge being in mutually nonoverlapping position at an angle to each other when said frame is in folded condition.

2. A foldable frame for a furniture unit, comprising a base frame member, a plurality of swingable members comprising a pair of side-arm members and a back member, said members defining a space for a seat cushion of predetermined dimensions, said base member having a plurality of recessed means in its bottom for firmly and rapidly securing individual removable load-carrying legs thereto, a raised portion fixedly attached to said base frame member and having a predetermined height above the top of the latter less than the thickness of said seat cushion, first and second hinge means each having a pintle closely adjoining said seat cushion space and two flanges with fastenings joined to respective members for pivotally attaching said back member and said side-arm members respectively to said base frame member and to said raised portion, said raised portion being provided with a flat surface for supporting in unfolded condition of the unit the two flanges in mutual overlapping position of one of said first and second hinge means so that said one hinge means is at a level higher than said other hinge means by an amount approximately equal to the thickness of the swingable member to which the other of said hinge means are attached, and so that the overall folded thickness of said unit before said cushion is in said space is equal to the thickness of said base member, plus the thickness of said raised portion, plus the thickness of said swingable member attached to said raised portion by said one hinge means, whereby before said cushion and legs are in position said unit occupies a minimum shipping volume having said overall thickness and defined in length by the length of said base frame member, and whereby with said cushion in position in said space the foldability of said unit is not apparent, and whereby in unfolded condition of said unit any vertical load forces do not stress said fastenings of said flanges in shear.

3. A folding chair frame, comprising a base member having means for attaching a pair of removable front legs, raised portions fixedly attached at each side of said base frame member, said raised portions having upper load carrying surfaces at least a portion of which are flat, a pair of side arms having flat bottom surfaces for load-carrying engagement with said upper flat surfaces of said raised portions, a swingable back member having 6 a pair of rear legs fixedly attached thereto and swingable therewith, said members defining together a space for a seat cushion of predetermined dimensions, first and second hinge means each having a pintle closely adjoining said seat cushion space and each provided with two flanges having fastenings for pivotally attaching said back member and said side-arm members respectively to said base frame member and to said raised portions, the two flanges of said first hinge means being fastened by respective fastenings to and recessed within and between the flat load-carrying surfaces of said side anrns and of said raised portions so that said two flanges mutually overlap in parallel relation to each other when said side-arm members are in upright unfolded position, whereby vertical load forces of said unit in unfolded condition do not stress the fastenings of said two flanges in shear, said second hinge means comprising a piano hinge having a pintle rod and two flange portions rotatable about said pintle rod and respectively fastened to said back member and base frame member, said pintle rod bridging the distance between said two rear legs for transmitting bending forces from said base frame member to said rear legs, said two flange portions of said piano hinge being at an angle to each other less than when said chair is in unfolded condition so as to reduce the shear stress on the fastenings of said flanges of said piano hinge, the latter flanges being at from each other when said chair is in folded condition, the vertical distance between horizontal planes passing through the pivot axes of said first and second hinge means being approximately the thickness of said back member so that the overall thickness of said chair frame before said seat cushion is in said space is approximately equal to the sum of the thickness of said base member, said back member'and one of said side members, whereby before said cushion and front legs are in position said chair frame occupies a shipping volume having said overall thickness and defined in length by the length of said base frame member, and whereby with said cushion in position in said space the foldability of said unit is not apparent.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 732,618 Collier June 30, 1903 898,668 Middleton Sept. 15, 1908 2,475,513 Peckinpaugh July 5, 1949 2,589,372 Hake Mar. 18, 1952 2,595,532 Lietner May 6, 1952 2,675,066 Ohman Apr. 13, 1954 2,764,462 McDonald Sept. 25, 1956 2,831,528 Eames Apr. 22, 1958 

